Think about employing staff virtually: Employing and managing people virtually is a great idea and opens up opportunities for some innovative employment practices. It also means you don't have the kind of control you would normally enjoy – simply seeing someone working, and being able to monitor their input and their output. Therefore, you need to be absolutely clear on what you will put in place. Do you want them working set hours – probably easier for your peace of mind, at least at first? Do you want them to log into a virtual private network (VPN) or have a morning phone call at the start of the working day? This is all about trust, and it's hard to trust someone you don't really know, so it's important that you establish clearly how you will go about working together from the start to build trust and move to a freer way of working.

Your staff will have a different perspective on your business: Remember that you and they have a very different emotional relationship with the business. For you, work and your personal identity are identical – the business is you and you are the business. For employees the relationship is essentially transactional – they work and you pay them. Who they are isn't defined by you employing them, it's just one part of their life, and probably not the most important emotionally. This means that you need to think hard about how you motivate them and inspire them with your own vision and values, so that they develop a similar level of commitment to you. Far too many entrepreneurs struggle to get the best out of employees because of the difference in their perspectives on the business. They won't think like you about it, so you have to understand them and encourage them to become committed to it from where they are emotionally.

Good working relationships are key: There is so much comment about how much legal protection employees have, that it creates an illusion that all employees are waiting for a chance to sue their employer. The reality is that most employers and employees get on well. The simplest rule in employing people is the golden rule: treat people the way that you would want to be treated. Be fair, honest and open. You can be demanding, but only to expect people to achieve what they are capable of doing. If they aren't performing well, tell them, but be prepared to show, train or coach them to do it better. Most people like to do a good job, so if they don't it's probably because they don't know what good looks like.

Can you afford to take on an employee? I suppose the best question to ask yourself is whether you could be spending your time on something more productive or profitable by hiring someone to help you. If this is true, it has a big impact on whether or not you should recruit someone to help. It's also a good idea to create a profit and loss forecast for your business so that you can confidently show that you can afford to employ someone over the coming months or years. Alternatively you might want to look into employing someone remotely or virtually on a pay-as-you-go basis, which may offer a safer and more affordable option to get the help you need.

Think about flexible solutions to a permanent office: Some staff will need constant support, others can work autonomously. Maybe consider a shared serviced office, as these can be quite reasonable, and you can have them on short-lease contracts too. If they work from their home you need to ensure that their office is fit for purpose, and you will most likely need to kit it out, including a laptop, broadband, phone and so on.

When recruiting, make sure you know what you're looking for: Are you looking for someone who can do what you know already or are you looking to hire knowledge that would complement your work and skills? The first sounds like an employee and the latter sounds like a partner.

Think long-term: My research at CIPD points to the importance of also thinking about the "fit" between the person and your long-term vision for the organisation and the values you think are important. Would that person fit into the kind of culture you envisage for your business?

Taking on an apprentice is a good way of finding talented employees: It is a really cost effective way for SMEs to bring on new vibrant talent and the great news is that government are supporting small businesses who take on an apprentice – one example is the AGE grant. This is £1,500 for eligible companies to support them in training a young apprentice. Ultimately, if it is the right solution for a company it can allow them to broaden their horizons and grow.

You don't have to jump straight into hiring a team: Consider building your team with like-minded individuals that are prepared to work with you as associates or partners. This may just bridge the confidence gap between being effectively self-employed to then suddenly having employees.

There are pros and cons for both training in-house and outsourcing: Depending on the number of people involved and the type of training involved, it can be more cost effective to explore the option of external trainers delivering in-house training or doing it yourself as the employer, as opposed to having to allow for absences of employees going elsewhere.

ACAS run training courses which include bespoke in-house training and external courses; these can be particularly useful if you take on more staff and employ supervisors and line managers who need training on aspects of workplace rights and management.

Make sure you develop open communication with your team: From conversations on our helpline with both employers and employees we found that one of the key elements to a successful employment relationship is communication. It is so important for both employer and employee to have a good understanding and appreciation of what is expected from them and what they are expecting from the other party. We advise to always encourage open communication and have regular informal chats and meetings to keep each up to date with changes in respect of both employment issues and personal issues in order to be able to deal with ongoing day-to-day issues, and be able to plan for the future.

Skilled staff will need training too: If the role is more vocational and tied to particular qualifications then new staff should already have the required skills. What they would need is training on the culture and values of the company, along with any additional responsibilities. The manager may be in a better position [than an external trainer] to train staff in the ways of the company and their expectations.

Do you have any tips for small business owners taking on staff? Leave your comments in the thread below.

The opinions provided by the experts in this Q&A are for information purposes only. We do not accept responsibility for any advice given and cannot guarantee its accuracy. The opinions expressed by the experts are not intended to constitute legal or other professional advice, and should not be relied on, or treated as a substitute for specific advice relevant to particular circumstances.